This invention relates to improvements in latching devices for zipper sliders, and more particularly to latching devices for a double-slider zipper arrangement such as that used on soft-walled luggage cases.
Luggage cases and similar types of articles which have soft or flexible walls generally employ slide fasteners or zippers as a closure. Frequently, a double-slider zipper is used in which a pair of opposed sliders, movable in opposite directions, come together at some convenient location, such as the center of the zipper, to close the case. To prevent the inadvertent opening of the case, the sliders must be fastened together, preferably in abutting relationship so that there is no gap in the zipper. It is also desirable to employ means for locking the sliders together to provide some measure of security for the contents of the case.
Prior latching (and locking) devices for double-slider zippers have included padlocks passed through holes in the ends of the pull tabs of the sliders. However, this arrangement has had many drawbacks. Padlocks generally do not hold the sliders in abutting relationship. Furthermore, the padlock must be locked to latch the sliders together and must be unlocked to unlatch the sliders. This is a two-handed operation which is cumbersome and undesirable. Other approaches have employed a latching device mounted on the luggage case with which the sliders are brought into engagement. For example, the device may include an upstanding post sized to pass through holes in the slider pull tabs. When the sliders are brought together, the pull tabs are placed over the post and covered by a latching flap or other member to prevent the pull tabs from slipping off. Mounting of such devices is troublesome. Moreover, they are generally bulky and may still permit the sliders to separate slightly, leaving an undesirable gap in the zipper.